


Now and Always

by lando_cal_rice_ian



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Jealousy, Other, Self-Esteem Issues, y'all work it out don't worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 02:23:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17235557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lando_cal_rice_ian/pseuds/lando_cal_rice_ian
Summary: jealousy rears its ugly head when jack flirts with you – daniel’s fiancee. but there is no other you'd want but daniel.





	Now and Always

**Author's Note:**

> TUMBLR REQUEST: Can you do an imagine where Daniel gets jealous of Jack? + (The nony from earlier) Jealous as in jealous of Jack flirting with the reader. Maybe he doesn’t know about the reader and Daniel or he does know and doesn’t care. In a oneshot please.
> 
>  
> 
> thank you for reading! xx

**UNEDITED**

* * *

 

Daniel’s hands were, though calloused from war, warm. There was no woe in life that could not be ebbed when his hands held yours. His was the first kiss that send your heart aflutter. And so, it hurt you that he, the man with whom you felt most safe and secure, believed so little in himself; when to you he was all you could hope for in a beau.

The culture of the SSR office was one you were familiar with from the stories Peggy would tell you: the ladder, a mark of power versus inferiority, at its centre, the bottom at which stood both women and, just a little above, men who were injured at war… so, Peggy and Daniel.  Daniel’s self-doubts stemmed from the belittlement he experienced from his equals, who deemed themselves his superiors. It infuriated you beyond belief.

“If I ever meet them,” you vowed, “I have a few words I’d like to give them.”

And then, you met Jack Thompson.

After the war, things had become looser, perhaps because a brush with death had sparked some yearning to live free. Even before, _you_ had been a little more assertive than others, eager to taste the sweet adventures life could offer. It was no surprise to you, nor Daniel, nor your friends, that after the war you began to challenge societal expectations; to such a point that you’d often visit restaurants, while waiting for Daniel, to drink alone at the bar. Even in 1946 such a sight shocked men (and even some women).

You’d grown accustomed to fending off unwanted attention, whether it be aghast socialites or attracted men, but it came as a surprise when _Thompson_ approached you one day.

In truth, he hadn’t meant to approach you, just intended to refill his whiskey glass. You just happened to be sitting in the area, under the protective watch of the bartender (Charles, who, having befriended you and Daniel, took it upon himself to help shoo away others who would get too close).

“Good evening, ma’am.” With a slight incline of his head, he greeted you with a smile.

You’d never met Jack before. He was familiar only from pictures and stories. To him, however, you were a stranger.

“Good evening,” you replied, if only to be polite. As soon as you had fulfilled the courtesy, you turned back to Charles and shared a smile.

“I’ve never met a woman who drinks at bars alone.” Curious and a bit confounded, he found himself watching you as you drank your wine.

“Then you haven’t met many women.” The uncivil tone with which you answered him had been unintentional, though a part of you preferred that the words had slipped out like that, in hopes that he might leave. He was no friend of Peggy’s, not even Daniel’s either, and so he was not yours.

But, to your surprise, he just laughed. “I suppose I’ve been too busy. To notice the change, that is. I’ve heard ladies have grown freer of late.” After a pause, he asked, “What’s your name, doll?”

Charles was looking at you in silent questioning, his brow quirked up in part amusement, part disbelief, awaiting a word, even a simple glance, to ask Jack to leave you be. He would do so far more well-mannered than you, a little more on the careful side due to his colour, and therefore his (unfair) social standing (despite his own struggles, Charles would never leave you in a troublesome situation).

“How is my name of any consequence to you?” Honestly, perhaps it was the wine, but you felt like laughing.

Jack, taking the glass of whiskey that Charles handed him, stepped back. Instead of leaving, he raised his free hand as if in surrender.

“I guess I’ll just call you Aphrodite, then.”

He was _flirting! The audacity_ , you thought. And yet, a sudden urge to scoff overcame you. How you managed to stifle it, you don’t know. Drinking wine helped, though.

“Sir,” Charles began, “no disrespect meant, but the lady is here waiting for someone.” The fact that some men assumed you were an escort or a woman in want of a partner was entirely _their_ fault.

“Mm,” you nodded, lowering the wineglass from your mouth. “I am.”

“For whom, if I might ask?”

 _What am I, being interrogated?_ you almost asked. “My one true love.” It may have seemed like you were joking – in fact, it seemed to have been taken that way, since Jack started to laugh – but in truth you were entirely serious.

Before you could bite back at him for laughing, Jack leaned in, so close that you could see the curve of his light lashes. His voice dropped – and a laugh threatened to spill as you realised he had progressed from flirting to _seducing_ you. “How do you know that’s not me.”

Charles froze, almost dropping the glass he had been cleaning.

“Because I already know who he is.”

You stared at Jack, noticing how his eyes studied you – every curve, every angle of your face. For a moment, his gaze flickered to your lips.

“And who might he be?”

“Me, perhaps?”

The familiar voice caused you to brighten, something Jack took note of, as Daniel appeared from behind him. A little bewildered, he looked from Jack to you, then back to Jack again.

“Or,” he added, a trace of hesitation in his voice, “I at least hope it’s me.”

Of course it was, and you meant to quell his doubts in an instant, when Peggy suddenly rushed to your side. Kissing your cheek in greeting, she breathed out, “Sorry he’s late! We ran into a bit of trouble. Daniel was gracious enough to help. So sorry, [Y/N]. Oh hello Charles!”

“Good evening, Miss Carter,” Charles returned with a smile. He disappeared off to the other side of the bar to serve another patron.

You smiled up at her, “Heroes need not apologise,” taking her hand in reassurance. Peggy heaved a sigh of relief.

Then, she noticed Jack. A little startled, she stepped back, looking up at him with wide eyes. “What are you doing here, Thompson?”

“Having a drink with the mayor.” He raised his glass to show her. “And I guess I spotted an angel who I couldn’t resist meeting.” His gaze was quite evidently on you.

The flickering of emotions that stormed across Daniel’s face, swept into a maelstrom, did not go unnoticed by you. With a tremulous hand, you reached out for him. His hesitation to take it made your heart drop.

“Mmm.” Peggy squinted up at Jack. “Hmm. You do realise she’s Daniel’s fiancée, don’t you?”

The news hadn’t been spread around the office; but enough people knew of it that Jack having not heard was odd. It came down to him not asking, too caught up in pleasing his superiors to care about any news about his peers.

Now, Jack raised a brow. “Daniel has a fiancée?”

The diamonds embedded in Daniel’s mother’s ring glinted when you raised your hand for him to see. “As I said, I was waiting for my true love.”

You noticed the tension in Daniel’s shoulders ease just a bit.

Jack, however, became rigid. The last few girls he had dated had never been the one. For Daniel to have found happiness, while _he_ could not… it hit his pride quite a bit.

The words slipped out, “Are you sure you’re not making a mistake?”

“Thompson!” Peggy cried, aghast.

In that split second, you glanced down at your wineglass, disappointed to find that there was a mere two or three sips left inside, not enough to damage the man’s ego as much as you’d like, djust as Daniel manoeuvred himself between you two.

Leaning on his cane, his other hand reached back to lay a gentle touch on your knee. “Maybe,” he said to Jack, “if you weren’t so hell-bent on rising to the top, casting aside anyone around you, Thompson, you’d have a fiancée yourself.”

“Or friends,” Peggy muttered under her breath.

 You, however, were so startled to hear Daniel, a man who dared protect his friends – especially Peggy, against the misogynistic men in the office – but never himself, make a stand at last. Both you and Peggy had hoped and hoped he would, and that someday had come.

It was obvious the words were taken as an insult. Jack pressed his lips together, nodding. In an irked voice he bit out, “At least I want to rise to the top. At least I _can_.”

“The only reason you can is because you’ve made yourself heartless,” you said from around Daniel.

As you raised your glass in preparation to throw the contents at Jack, Daniel hurriedly turned to you and held your hand. And, in a moment, the exasperation abated, and all you felt was warmth.

“But you don’t have to be.” This, he said to Jack, a kindness that he offered gently over his shoulder. “Heartless, that is.”

Daniel turned back to you and raised your hands to his lips. “I’m sorry for being late.” Then, he turned to Jack. “Come. Join us for a drink. If the mayor can spare you for a moment.”

Jack shook his head in disbelief. Daniel continued, face softening, “You need to get out more, Jack, for a _sociable_ drink. With friends. Not potential or current allies. Even a movie or dinner. Trust me, without friends, life isn’t worth living.”

“You… We…” At a loss for words, Jack began to shake his head again. “Just a moment ago, we were fighting. And now you want me to drink with you? Aren’t you jealous, Sousa?”

Daniel sighed. When you placed a gentle hand on his forearm from behind, he smiled. “I was. I panicked. I won’t deny I often think [Y/N] deserves… another man. Someone… better. Someone like you. But… I’m content. And as long as [Y/N] wants me, I’ll be here for her.” He shrugged, “I’m too happy to let jealousy get to my head.”

“I think this moment calls for a toast!” Peggy grabbed your wineglass – almost falling from your fingers because of the shock you were in – and raised it. “To Daniel and [Y/N].” She took the smallest of sips before adding, “And to Jack and his ego.” At this, she took a large gulp, finishing the contents of the glass.

As she turned to call for Charles, and Jack hesitantly sat down, you tugged at Daniel’s sleeve and pulled him into your arms. Such displays of affection were sometimes frowned upon, but what did it matter, when you and he were in love. Placing a kiss on his lips, though the touch was chaste it never failed to quicken your heart. The callouses on his fingers brushed the side of your face as he cupped your cheek.

“I love you, Daniel Sousa,” you whispered against his lips. “Now. And always.”

Jack’s mumble could be heard as he leaned against the counter. “Okay. I need another drink.”

“You need several, Jack Thompson.” But, this time, you smiled at him.

Daniel’s brown eyes were so tender it felt like heaven to gaze into them. You leaned your forehead against his and said, “You are better than you imagine. Twice the man most are. I could ask for no one as good as you. I can’t wait to be your wife, and for you to be my husband. Listen, and listen well. I _love_ you. Now and always. Okay?”

In the soft light of the restaurant, the chandelier above cast its brightness upon you, under its glittering crystals you looked like an angel. Daniel thanked God, the Universe, and all things divine – including you – in that moment, for having such luck to be your future husband.

He caressed your cheek and whispered in return, “I love you, [Y/N]. I always will.”

And from his peripheral vision, Jack watched you two, an ache growing in his chest. What jealousy or insult he had felt quietened, until such hideous emotions died. _Sorry,_ he thought. If there was such thing as perfection, it would be you and Daniel. To have tried to separate you made guilt gnaw at his insides. You did not make a mistake. And Daniel deserved all happiness.


End file.
